Disco Owner Charged in Killing of Gotti Associate

By SARAH LYALL

Published: June 18, 1988

A man said to be an associate of the Gambino crime family was shot and killed at a Manhattan discotheque early yesterday, the police said, and the owner of the club was charged with the killing.

The slain man was identified as Anthony Mascuzzio, 43 years old, of 81 Warren Street in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. A police spokesman, Officer Peter O'Donnell, said Mr. Mascuzzio was a friend and associate of John Gotti, the head of the Gambino family.

The owner of the Bedrox Disco, David Fisher, 53 of Monsey, N.Y., in Rockland County, was taken to the Bellevue Hospital Center shortly after the 2:30 A.M. shooting, which took place in the basement of the club.

The police said that Mr. Fisher had fought with Mr. Mascuzzio over money and that Mr. Mascuzzio had hit him in the head before being shot.

Mr. Fisher was listed in serious but stable condition with multiple head trauma, said James Walsh, a spokesman for Bellevue. Man Was Shot Twice

Mr. Mascuzzio was found sprawled on the basement floor of the building near the club's business office, at 316 West 49th Street. He had been shot twice, once in the lower right side of the neck and once in the back, the police said.

They said that an unlicensed .38-caliber revolver was found near the body, and that another .38-caliber revolver, with five spent cartridges, was recovered in the discotheque last night..

Patrons on the main floor of the disco heard the shots coming from the basement, which also serves as a storage area, said Aaron H. Rosenthal, the Manhattan Chief of Detectives,l said.

''A club employee attempted to go downstairs, but couldn't get the door open,'' the chief said. He said the officers called to the scene saw Mr. Fisher standing near Mr. Mascuzzio's body as they forced open the door, Chief Rosenthal said. Occupation Not Known

Mr. Fisher and Mr. Mascuzzio had a business relationship, the chief said. The police said Mr. Mascuzzio had a long arrest record dating back to the 1960's, and had been convicted on a number of charges including gambling and robbery. but he added that Mr. Mascuzio's occupation was not known.

Chief Rosenthal said there were signs of a struggle where the body was found.

Mr. Fisher had operated businesses at the location for 18 years. The previous business he ran there was also a disco, called the Better Days Disco.